Exhortation to mourn and fast
Destruction shall come upon the land THE
PROPHECY OF JOEL JoEL prophesied in the kingdom of Judea. He foretells under figure the great evils that were coming upon the people for their sins: earnestly exhorts them to re Tentance: and comforts them with the promise of a TEACHER OF JUSTICE, viz.,
CHRIST JESUS ouR LORD, and of the coming down of his holy SPIRIT. The period of the ministry of JOEL cannot be determined with certainty; it was probably after the Babylonian exile. CHAPTER 1 The prophet describes the judgments that shall fall upon the people, and invites them to fasting and 49tayer.
HE word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Phatuel.
2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land: did this ever happen in your days or in the days of your fathers?
11 The husbandmen are ashamed, the vinedressers have howled for the wheat,
and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. 12 The vineward is confounded, and the
fig tree hath languished: the pomegrar ate tree, and the palm tree, and the apple tree, and all the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withdrawn from the children of men.
*
hath eaten: and that which the bruchus
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, O ye priests, howl, ye ministers of the altars: go in, lie in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: because sacrifice and libation is cut off from the house of your God. 14 u Sanctify ye a fast, call an assembly; gather together the ancients, all the in
hath left, the mildew hath destroyed. 5 Awake, ye that are drunk, and weep,
your God: and cry ye to the Lord:
3 Tell ye of this to your children, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.
4 That which the palmerworm hath left, the locust hath eaten: and that which the locust hath left, the bruchus
and mourn all ye that take delight in
habitants of the land into the house of
land, strong and without number: his
15 Ah, ah, ah, for the day: because the day of the Lord is at hand, and it shall come like destruction from the mighty. 16 Is not your food cut off before your eyes, joy and gladness from the house of
teeth are like the teeth of a lion: and
our God?
drinking sweet wine: for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation is come up upon my his cheek teeth as of a lion’s whelp. 7 He hath laid my vineyard waste, and hath pilled off the bark of my fig tree: he hath stripped it bare, and cast it away;
17 The beasts have rotted in their dung, the barns are destroyed, the storehouses are broken down: because the corn is confounded.
the branches thereof are made white.
18 Why did the beast groan, why did the
8 Lament like a virgin girded with sack
herds of cattle low 2 because there is no
the house of the Lord: the priests, the
pasture for them: yea, and the flocks of sheep are perished. 19 To thee, O Lord, will I cry: because
Lord’s ministers, have mourned:
fire hath devoured the beautiful places
10. The country is destroyed, the ground hath mourned: for the corn is wasted, the wine is confounded, the oil hath lan
of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the country.
guished.
looked up to thee, as a garden bed that
cloth for the husband of her youth. 9 Sacrifice and libation is cut off from
20 Yea and the beasts of the field have
u Infra 2. 15.
CHAP: 1. Ver. 4. That which the palmerworm hath
left, &c. Some understand this literally of the
derstand it of the different invasions of the Chal deans, or other enemies.
desolation of the land by these insects: others un 982
The terrible day of the Lord
JOEL Exhortation to be converted to Lord
thirsteth after rain, for the springs of waters are dried up, and fire hath de voured the beautiful places of the wilder ness. CHAPTER 2 The prophet foretell: the terrible day of the Lord: exhort-s sinners to a sincere conversion: and com forts God's people with promises of future bless ings under Christ,
LOW ye the trumpet in Sion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: because the day of the Lord cometh, be cause it is nigh at hand. 2 A day of darkness, and of gloominess, a day of clouds and whirlwinds: a numer ous and strong people
as
the
morning
10 At their presence the earth hath trembled, the heavens are moved: 1Ithe sun and moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining. 11 And the Lord hath uttered his voice before the face of his army: for his armies are exceeding great, for they are strong and execute his word: 1vfor the day of the Lord is great and very terrible: and who can stand it? 12 Now therefore saith the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourn mg. 13 And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God:
"for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. 14 1/Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Sion, 1’ sanctify
spread upon the mountains: the like to it hath not been from the beginning, nor shall be after it even to the years of gen eration and generation. 3 Before the face thereof a devouring fire. and behind it a burning flame: the land is like a garden of pleasure before it, and behind it a desolate wilderness, neither is there any one that can escape it. 4 The appearance of them is as the ap pearance of horses, and they shall run like horsemen. 5 They shall leap like the noise of char iots upon the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, as a strong people prepared to battle. 6 At their presence the people shall be in grievous pains: all faces shall be made like a kettle. 7 They shall run like valiant men: like men of war they shall scale the wall: the men shall march every one on his way, and they shall not turn aside from their ranks. 8 No one shall press upon his brother:
16 Gather together the people, sanctify the church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bride chamber. 17 Between the porch and the altar the priests the Lord's ministers shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people: and give not thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God? 18 The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people. 19 And the Lord answered and said to his people: Behold I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be filled with them: and I will no more make you
a fast, call a solemn assembly,
they shall walk every one in his path:
a reproach among the nations.
yea, and they shall fall through the win dows, and shall take no harm. 9 They shall enter into the city: they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up the houses, they shall come in at the windows as a thief.
20 And I will remove far off from you the northern enemy: and I will drive him into a land unpassable, and desert, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder part towards the utmost sea: and his stench shall ascend, and his rotten
11 Isa. 13. 10: Ezech. 32. 7 ; Infra 3. 15; Matt. 24. 29; Mark 13. 24; Luke 21. 26.— w Jer. 30. 7;
Amos 5. 18; Soph. 1. 15.—:z Ps. 85. 5; John 4, 2, 11 John 8. 9.—z Supra 1, 14.
CRAP. 2. Ver. 1. The day of the Lord. That is, the time when he will execute justice upon sinners. Ver. 2. A numerous and strong people, The Assyrians, or Chaldeans. Others understand all this of an army of locusts laying waste the land.
Ver. 20. The northern enemy. Some understand 0 this of Holofernes and his army: others, of the ocusts.
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God’s gracious promises to His people JOEL
The valley of Josaphat
ness shall go up, because he hath done
CHAPTER 3
proudly.
The Lord shall judge all nations in the valley of Jos aphat. The evils that shall fall upon the enemies of God’s people: his blessing upon the church of the saints.
21 Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice: for the Lord hath done great things. 22 Fear not, ye beasts of the fields: for the beautiful places of the wilderness are
OR behold in those days, and in that time when I shall bring back the cap
sprung, for the tree hath brought forth its fruit, the fig tree, and the vine have yielded their strength. 23 And you, O children of Sion, rejoice, and be joyful in the Lord your God: be cause he hath given you a teacher of justice, and he will make the early and the latter rain to come down to you as in
tivity of Juda and Jerusalem: 2 I will gather together all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Josaphat: and I will plead with them there for my people, and for my inheri tance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and have parted my land.
the beginning. 24 And the floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with
3 And they have cast lots upon my peo ple: and the boy they have put in the stews, and the girl they have sold for wine, that they might drink. 4 But what have you to do with me, O Tyre, and Sidon, and all the coast of the
wine and oil.
25 And I will restore to you the ears which the locust, and the bruchus, and
the mildew, and the palmerworm have eaten; my great host which I sent upon
Philistines? will you revenge yourselves on me? and if you revenge yourselves on me, I will very soon return you a re
you.
26 And you shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled: and you shall praise the name of the Lord your God, who hath done wonders with you, and my people shall
compense upon your own head. 5 For you have taken away my silver
and my gold: and my desirable and most beautiful things you have carried into your temples.
not be confounded for ever.
27 And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and I am the Lord your God, and there is none besides: and my people shall not be confounded for
6 And the children of Juda, and the
children of Jerusalem you have sold to the children of the Greeks, that you might remove them
ever.
far
off
from
their
own
28 And it shall come to pass after this, a that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters
country. 7 Behold, I will raise them up out of the
shall prophesy: your old men shall dream
I will return your recompense upon your
dreams, and your young men shall see
own heads.
V1SlonS.
of smoke. 31 b The sun shall be turned into dark
8 And I will sell your sons, and your daughters by the hands of the children of Juda, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far off, for the Lord hath spoken it. 9 Proclaim ye this among the nations: prepare war, rouse up the strong: let them come, let all the men of war come
ness, and the moon into blood: before
up.
the great and dreadful day of the Lord
10 Cut your ploughshares into swords, and your spades into spears. Let the
29 Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in heaven; and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapour
doth come.
32 And it shall come to pass, c that every one that shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved: for in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem shall be salvation, as . . the Lord hath said, and in the residue whom the Lord shall call. a Isa. 44. 3; Acts 2. 17.–b Supra 2. 10;
place wherein you have sold them: and
weak say: I am strong. 11 Break forth, and come, all ye nations, from round about, and gather yourselves together: there will the Lord cause all thy strong ones to fall down. 12 Let them arise, and let the nations Matt. 24.29; Luke 21.25; Acts 2.20.-e Rom, 10.13.
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The valley of Josaphat
AMOS
come up into the valley of Josaphat: for there I will sit to judge all nations round about. 13 11 Put ye in the sickles, for the harvest is ripe: come and go down, for the press is full, the fats run over: for their wicked ness is multiplied. 14 Nations, nations in the valley of de
struction: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of destruction. 15 8 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shin mg. 16 1' And the Lord shall roar out of Sion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem: and the heavens and the earth shall be moved, and the Lord shall be the hope of his people, and the strength of the chil dren of Israel. 17 And you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Sion my
The Lord will dwell in Sion
holy mountain: and Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall pass through it no more. 18 And it shall come to pass in that day, nthat the mountains shall drop down sweetnes, and the hills shall flow with milk: and waters shall flow through all the rivers of Juda: and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the torrent of thorns. 19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a wilderness destroyed: because they have done unjustly against the children of Juda, and have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 And Judea shall be inhabited for ever, and Jerusalem to generation and generation. 21 And I will cleanse their blood which I had not cleansed: and the Lord will dwell in Sion.
THE
PROPHECY OF AMOS AMOS prophesied in Israel before OSEE, during the latter part of the reign of JERO BOAM the second (789-749 B. C.). He was called from followin the flock to de
nounce GoD’s judgments to the people of Israel, and the neig bouring nations, for their repeated crimes, in which they continued without repentance.
HE words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Thecua: which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Ozias king of Juda, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joas king of Israel two years before the earthquake. 2 And he said: k The Lord will roar
from Sion, and utter, his voice from Je rusalem: and the beautiful places of the shepherds have mourned, and the top of Carmel is withered. 3 Thus saith the Lord: For three crimes of Damascus, and for four I will not con vert it: because they have thrashed Ga laad with iron wains. 4 And I will send a fire into the house of Azael, and it shall devour the houses of Benadad.
d Apoc. 14, 15.-—c Supra 2. 10 and 31. f Jer. 25. 30; Amos 1. 2.—g Amos 9. 13.
lc Jet. 25. 80; Joel 8. 16.
CHAPTER 1 The prophet threatens Damascus, Gaza, T1/re, Edom, and Amman with the judgments of God, for their
obstinacy in sin.
CRAP. 3. Ver. 18. A fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, &c. Viz., the fountain of grace in the church militant, and of glory in the
church triumphant: which shall water the torrent or valley of thorns, that is, the souls that before, like barren ground brought forth nothing but thorns; or that were aflllcted with the thorns of crosss and tribulations. Ver. 20. Judea.—wnd Jerusalem. That is, the spiritual Jerusalem, viz., the church of Christ, Cl-IAP. 1. Ver. 1. The earthquake. Many under stand this of a great earthquake, which they say was
felt at the time that King Ozias attempted to ofi'er incense in the temple. But the best chronologists prove that the earthquake here spoken of must have been before that time: because Jeroboam the sec ond, under whom Amos prophesied, was dead long before that attempt of Ozias. Ver. 8. For three crimes — and for four. That is, for their many unrepented of crimes.— Ibid. I will not convert it. That is, I will not spare them, nor tgrn away the punishment: I design to inflict upon t em.
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